"Silence!"
A massive, authoritative voice thundered across the entire venue.
Hearing the voice, all the soldiers immediately straightened their backs and raised their spears high. A murderous atmosphere spread instantly, and the previously noisy Xingluo Plaza fell silent.
"His Majesty the Emperor arrives—"
"Whoosh—"
In the next second, hundreds of thousands of citizens knelt down in waves, moving in unison. It was a breathtaking scene.
The soldiers knelt on one knee.
All participating academy members were granted an exception from kneeling, but were required to bow at a 90-degree angle as a sign of respect to the Emperor.
Huo Yuhao executed a perfect 90-degree bow—but did not lower his head, keeping his eyes fixed on the figure appearing atop the imperial wall.
Xingluo Emperor Xu Jiawei wore a bright yellow robe and an eight-treasure purple-gold crown. A middle-aged man, his gaze was gentle yet commanding. His body radiated dense imperial aura and dragon energy—he exuded the air of a true sovereign.
Beside him stood the Xingluo Empress, a graceful noblewoman in palace attire. Her demeanor was gentle and respectful toward Xu Jiawei. She, too, radiated strong imperial fortune, bearing the phoenix aura befitting the mother of a nation.
As for the Prime Minister and other civil and military officials, they also shared in the empire's imperial luck—each radiating more destiny than the common people.
Huo Yuhao lightly licked his teeth with his tongue.
Delicious.
"Rise, all of you."
Xu Jiawei's voice was amplified by a soul sound-amplifying device and resounded throughout the plaza.
Only then did everyone stand up.
Xu Jiawei, along with the Empress and his officials, walked to the forefront of the city wall, surveying his subjects with a gentle yet majestic gaze, and slowly spoke:
"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament is the most significant event in the soul master world of Douluo Continent. This year, it is being hosted in our Star Luo Empire Empire, and I am delighted. Here, on behalf of the Star Luo Empire Empire, I welcome all academy representatives, especially those led by Shrek Academy. I hope that in the coming month, you all showcase your full potential."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Leaders and students from all academies bowed again.
Xu Jiawei nodded and smiled toward the crowd.
"Very well. I hereby declare the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament officially open!"
With Xu Jiawei's loud proclamation, the grand event officially began.
"Long live! Long live! Long live!"
The masses shouted in unison. Soldiers struck the ground with their weapons. The atmosphere ignited instantly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Salutes fired from the city walls—108 rounds in total.
Cheers like crashing waves filled Xingluo Plaza, deafening and unstoppable.
"Just like the Olympics. Grand and spectacular," Huo Yuhao thought.
Xu Jiawei, the Empress, and the officials all took their seats.
The Prime Minister began reading out the rules and organizing the match venues.
The first round was a knockout round—paired duels, winners advance, losers are eliminated.
This was the most intense part of the entire tournament.
Once the rules were explained, the first match of Round One began immediately.
Unsurprisingly, the first team to compete was still Shrek Academy.
It was as if everything in the Soul Master Tournament had to start with Shrek.
Naturally, this was also the match most looked forward to by the audience.
With Shrek Academy's status and fame, they fully deserved to be the opening act.
The atmosphere in Xingluo Plaza instantly reached its peak. The crowd chanted Shrek's name:
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
The chants echoed in every corner of the plaza.
The members of the preparatory team were both excited and nervous.
Even Jin Qiu'er was startled.
Zhou Yi wanted to give a motivational speech to the team.
But Ma Xiaotao stepped in, interrupting Zhou Yi, and said first:
"Don't panic, everyone. This is the glory of Shrek Academy—and soon, it will be your glory, too. Last tournament, we faced the same situation. Let me tell you this: our opponents will be ten times more nervous and terrified than us—because we are Shrek Academy!"
"Also, don't feel pressured. As long as Yuhao and I are here, we will not lose this tournament!"
Upon hearing Ma Xiaotao's words, the new members finally calmed down, though their faces still flushed red from excitement.
After all, who wouldn't be dazzled by such attention?
Jin Qiu'er thought to herself: "This feels amazing—way better than living in the forest."
Huo Yuhao, too, felt a hint of excitement—but did not show it.
The scenes from Pudu Cihang's memories were only memories; experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely.
It's like going to a live concert rather than watching a livestream at home.
The atmosphere is what matters most!
"Let's go," Huo Yuhao said softly, stepping out to lead.
Ma Xiaotao and Wei Na followed on either side.
Jiang Nannan, Jin Qiu'er, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao followed behind.
Clearly, the team was centered around Huo Yuhao.
When the Shrek team appeared, the cheers surged even louder.
In the audience:
Nan Qiuqiu spotted Huo Yuhao and her eyes lit up. She excitedly tugged her mother's sleeve and said,
"Mom, it's Yuhao!"
"Mm." Nan Shuishui nodded with a calm smile—but her legs unconsciously rubbed together, as if itchy.
The two teams of seven stood at their respective corners of the stage, facing off from afar.
When the members of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy saw Shrek Academy's surprisingly young lineup, they were stunned.
The average age of the team was under fifteen.
Huo Yuhao himself wasn't even thirteen.
Was this Shrek's preparatory team?
Aside from Ma Xiaotao, the rest didn't seem like main team members.
But this was the knockout round!
Weren't they afraid?
Some people had seen the young Shrek team earlier, but didn't believe the academy would actually let them compete.
But Shrek really went ahead with it.
In the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy camp:
Ma Rulong said gravely,
"As expected, Shrek is letting them compete. Such a young team—can they really win?"
Hard to comprehend.
"Heh." Xiao Hongchen sneered,
"No matter Shrek's plans, in the end, we will be the winners. They might not even get the chance to fight us this time."
Meng Hongchen, however, cheered nearby,
"Brother, Shrek's boys are so handsome! I noticed the one in front right away—and the one in the back too!"
She was pointing at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.
Xiao Hongchen: "…"
Sis, did you completely miss the point here?
The others also fell silent, all looking at Xiao Hongchen, as if urging him to rein in his sister.
But Meng Hongchen ignored them all—a diehard fan of handsome faces.
Xu Jiawei watched the arena, a look of astonishment on his face.
He had been so focused on Huo Yuhao just now that he completely forgot to pay attention to the other participants. Huo Yuhao was simply too dazzling.
But it wasn't too late to ask now, so he asked in confusion, "What is Shrek Academy doing? Why didn't they send out their main team?"
No one could answer him.
Because no one else knew either.
A match is a match. No matter how many people have questions, the match still had to go on.
The referee dispatched by the Star Luo Empire had arrived and gestured for both sides to step forward.
The referee solemnly announced the rules:
"Round One, Elimination Stage, Team Battle."
"Both sides may use most soul tools during the match. However, if one side admits defeat during the battle, the other side must stop attacking. Soul engineers may not use fixed-mounted soul tools or similarly high-destructive equipment."
"Do you all understand?"
"Understood!" both sides responded simultaneously.
The referee: "Good. Both teams, retreat to your respective sides of the platform and wait for my command! Releasing martial souls or soul rings early will result in disqualification!"
Everyone nodded and stepped back to their respective sides.
The members of the Tianling Battle Team didn't look down on Huo Yuhao and his teammates just because they were young.
On the contrary, they were very serious.
Because they came from Shrek Academy—a name that carried a natural pressure, making it impossible to underestimate them.
Losing to Shrek Academy wasn't shameful. But losing too badly would be.
Around the arena, 108 metal pillars lit up simultaneously, and a giant light screen enveloped the field, signaling that the match was about to begin.
This waiting time also gave both teams the chance to privately discuss tactics and form their lineup.
The Tianling Team chose one of their standard formations: 3-2-1-1.
Three power-type or defense-type in the front, two agility-type flanking from the rear, and a control-type and support-type at center and back.
Facing Shrek, there was no need for flashy tricks. Stability was key.
Ma Xiaotao asked Huo Yuhao, "What do you plan to do?"
The others didn't understand why she would ask Huo Yuhao, but they acknowledged his strength.
In the original story, Huo Yuhao took Wang Dong and performed a flashy soul fusion technique to defeat the opponent.
But now, Brother Hao chose to go alone.
If he wanted to make a name for himself in this tournament, he had to show enough strength.
"You all fall back. I'll go alone," Huo Yuhao said with a smile.
The others were shocked and wanted to say something, but Ma Xiaotao nodded, "Okay."
"???"
Jiang Nannan hesitated. She thought either Ma Xiaotao or Huo Yuhao had gone crazy.
No matter how strong Huo Yuhao was, could he really 1v7?
This was a team battle! Wei Na chose to trust Huo Yuhao.
Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao just sat back to enjoy the show.
In fact, the one who trusted Huo Yuhao the most was Jin Qiu'er.
After sensing the strength of the seven Tianling Team members, she curled her lip and muttered, "They're so weak. I could take them myself."
So the others stepped back, and Huo Yuhao stepped forward alone.
Once again, the spectators were stunned.
What kind of formation was this?
Had Shrek Academy lost its mind?
The audience was buzzing with discussions.
Even the referee and the Tianling Team were dumbfounded.
They had never seen a situation like this.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao smiled gently and politely said:
"I'm Huo Yuhao, a second-year student from Shrek Academy's outer court and the vice-captain of the Shrek Academy team. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Everyone paused. With Ling Luochen severely injured, Huo Yuhao was now the vice-captain.
But even as a vice-captain, he had already surpassed the actual captain in many ways.
The referee: "…"
Such a polite competitor was truly rare.
The audience had never seen anything like it. Their conversation began to change tone:
"Wow, he's so handsome! And so polite!"
"A polite little puppy—I love him~"
"I thought he was the cold, aloof type, but that smile is so warm. I'm sold!"
"He said he's a second-year in the outer court? So he's what, 12 or 13? Can he really do it?"
"Why not? You can have kids at 12, you know!"
"Uhh... is it possible I meant combat ability, not that?"
"…"
The seven members of the Tianling Team looked at each other.
Finally, their captain spoke:
"I am a senior student from Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy, captain of the battle team…"
They politely introduced themselves as well.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the arena was surprisingly harmonious.
Huo Yuhao smiled and said, "I'm very happy to be fighting against you all. I hope this will be an exciting battle."
"Thanks, but… is it really just you alone? You think you can beat all of us by yourself?" the Tianling captain asked with a strange expression.
"Yes. One is enough."
"You… Hmph!"
All seven members of the Tianling Team looked displeased.
Why was this teenager saying the most arrogant and offensive things in the most polite and gentle way?!
Huo Yuhao didn't posture like he did in the original novel, because sincerity is always the most deadly weapon.
The referee finally snapped out of it, coughed awkwardly, raised his right hand, then dropped it.
"Begin!"
The Tianling team members immediately got serious and released their martial souls and soul rings.
The seven of them weren't weak. They had ideal soul ring setups, and their martial souls radiated brilliance.
Five of them were four-ring Soul Ancestors, and two were three-ring Soul Elders. The captain was a high-level Soul Ancestor.
Reaching that level by age 20 was already quite impressive.
This was what a normal academy team should look like.
Still, without a single Soul King, they couldn't really be considered strong.
The assessment: average.
But now, all eyes were on Huo Yuhao.
He strolled forward.
As he moved, parts of the Frost Centipede Armor began to appear on his body.
From the bottom up, the armor gradually covered his entire body:
Feet, legs, hips, waist, abdomen, chest, back, shoulders, arms.
Finally, Huo Yuhao swung his arms, and the cloak formed by two pairs of wings fluttered behind him. Illusory blood-colored rose petals danced in the air with the cloak's motion.
At the same time, five soul rings appeared on his body.
Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black!
Seeing this, the Tianling Team's members all had their pupils contract sharply.
Up in the royal palace, Xu Jiawei, the Empress, and all the officials sat up straight, shocked by Huo Yuhao's soul ring setup.
"Is he… a twin martial soul wielder?" Xu Jiawei speculated.
"That's… unclear," the prime minister said awkwardly.
"Your Majesty, regardless, for someone his age to reach the Soul King level is impressive," said the Empress.
"Mm." Xu Jiawei nodded, leaning back again, his expression contemplative.
If Huo Yuhao had twin martial souls, he might be wasting his talent.
But if he didn't… then this soul ring setup was downright terrifying.
A configuration of two purple and three black rings—without a single yellow ring—was incredibly rare.
Yet it was clearly genuine.
Huo Yuhao raised a fist.
Perhaps due to the fusion with the Tyrannosaurus Rex soul bone, the gauntlets on his arms looked even more imposing.
"I'm about to attack," Huo Yuhao said softly.
The seven members of the Tianling Team immediately took defensive positions.
And then—
Huo Yuhao vanished from sight.
The Tianling Team didn't even see what happened. All they felt was a gust of wind brush past them, followed by powerful blows to their abdomens.
By the time Huo Yuhao reappeared, he was already behind them.
And the seven members of the Tianling Team were flying through the air.
Most spectators only saw flashes of icy light pass through the Tianling formation. They couldn't even register what had happened.
With a gentle smile, Huo Yuhao lowered his raised fist and softly announced the name of his technique:
"Ice Mirage Fist — Sevenfold Strike!"
As the Tianling Team members crashed to the ground, the Ultimate Ice completely froze their bodies—they had lost the ability to fight.
Huo Yuhao wins!
The crowd erupted in astonishment.
One move to defeat seven people?
That fast?
They'd heard plenty of "seven times in one night," but "seven people in one second"—this was a first.
Was this the caliber of a top student from Shrek Academy?
Even most of Shrek Academy's own students hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to be this powerful.
"His strength has exceeded my expectations…" Zhou Yi thought silently.
The audience burst into wild cheers once more.
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
"Huo Yuhao! Huo Yuhao! Huo Yuhao!"
The chants and shouts were deafening, each wave louder than the last.
"Such speed! Such freezing cold!" Xu Jiawei, who had unknowingly sat upright again, muttered quietly.
As a Title Douluo, he had seen clearly what Huo Yuhao did—but he was still shocked.
A simple punch, freezing the targets.
Yet, with extreme speed, Huo Yuhao had seemingly passed through the Heavenly Spirit Team's formation in an instant, landing seven punches simultaneously.
Such attacks were impossible to guard against—not something a group of Soul Ancestors and Soul Masters could handle.
It proved the saying:
"In all martial arts, speed is the ultimate weapon. Nothing is invincible against true swiftness."
More importantly, Xu Jiawei noticed that none of Huo Yuhao's soul rings glowed during the attack—meaning it wasn't even a soul skill. It was purely Huo Yuhao's speed and strength, combined with a self-developed combat technique.
Which made it even more terrifying.
Although Huo Yuhao had further developed his Ice Mirage Fist, it wasn't a high-level battle technique in itself. But under the amplification of Huo Yuhao's strength and speed, it became extraordinarily powerful.
"No wonder he dared to face a whole team alone... So, is Huo Yuhao an agility-attack–type Soul King?" Xu Jiawei grew increasingly curious.
When Huo Yuhao introduced himself earlier, he hadn't specified his combat role. With that kind of speed, people naturally assumed he was an agility-type Soul King.
The referee quickly declared the match over.
Once the soul barrier lifted, the teacher of the Heavenly Spirit Team rushed onto the stage to check on the team.
With a snap of Huo Yuhao's fingers, the ice sealing the Heavenly Spirit Team members instantly shattered.
Only then did the team members come to—clutching their stomachs and starting to feel the pain belatedly.
They hadn't suffered serious injuries, and surprisingly, they were still conscious.
Well—not entirely. While they were frozen, they had lost consciousness—because Huo Yuhao had infused the attack with mental energy, ensuring they had no chance to resist.
Now, they had simply rebooted like a system.
"Thank goodness, you're all okay!" their teacher said with relief. Then, turning to Huo Yuhao, his eyes showed genuine gratitude.
"What just happened to us?" the team captain muttered after a moment, then chuckled bitterly.
"We lost… and we don't even know how it happened."
At that moment, Huo Yuhao approached, deactivated his armor, and extended a hand to the team captain.
Surprised, the captain smiled and reached out, letting Huo Yuhao pull him to his feet.
"Huo Yuhao, you're really strong. I wholeheartedly admit defeat," said the captain sincerely.
"As long as you don't blame me for the one-hit KO," Huo Yuhao replied with a polite smile.
"What? If I blame you, are you going to give us the win?" The captain rolled his eyes.
"Of course not."
The two looked at each other and laughed.
"Huo Yuhao, I'll consider you a friend," said the team captain.
The other team members joined in:
"Me too!"
"Yeah, I want to be friends with you!"
"Count me in!"
"…"
Even some of the female members started throwing flirty glances at Huo Yuhao.
As opponents, the Heavenly Spirit Team showed no hostility after their defeat. Instead, they embraced Huo Yuhao as a friend.
It seemed like they were all genuinely impressed—if not a little smitten.
"It's my honor to be friends with all of you," Huo Yuhao responded with a smile.
This harmonious scene amazed everyone—a moment of pure goodwill.
"Humble and composed, gracious and courteous. Truly a gentleman. As expected from a student of Shrek Academy."
Xu Jiawei praised Huo Yuhao, his mind already spinning with ideas.
"Perhaps, we should let Jiujiu interact with Huo Yuhao more. And the Empire should prepare a formal gift for him…"
In the Douluo Continent, it's common to curry favor with the powerful and oppress the weak. Someone like Huo Yuhao—powerful yet respectful to his defeated opponents—was incredibly rare.
No wonder the Heavenly Spirit Team was completely won over.
The majority of the audience also admired both Huo Yuhao's strength and character, now believing him to be a true gentleman—eager to befriend him.
Even the Heavenly Spirit Team's teacher approached and said with a smile:
"Huo Yuhao, you're always welcome to visit Heavenly Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy."
"Gladly." Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded, a flicker of light in his eyes fading away.
Another little sheep acquired.
Though the Heavenly Spirit Team's strength wasn't outstanding, being selected to represent their academy meant they had decent talent and potential.
And most people with such promise usually had backing—whether from a family or a faction.
Becoming famous isn't about being feared. It's about making more friends—so that no matter where you go, someone's always there to hand you toilet paper.
The more friends, the better.
That way, Huo Yuhao could gather more fate energy.
You never know when you'll need it.
After all, the great gourmet Kazotte once said:
"Friends are delicious!"
With the match over, both teams left the stage.
Huo Yuhao was surrounded by others as they made their way to the luxurious rest area on the west side of the arena—reserved exclusively for the participating academies.
The lounge could only accommodate about seventy academies—clearly, there was no space prepared for those eliminated in the first round.
Only those who advanced were allowed to rest there.
A way of conserving resources—and a good motivation for victory.
The Shrek Academy team didn't hold back, choosing the most luxurious area.
Meanwhile, the mood among the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy was a bit tense.
"Brother, he's so strong—and so polite!" Meng Hongchen whispered to Xiao Hongchen, clearly smitten with Huo Yuhao.
"Don't be fooled. He's faking it!" Xiao Hongchen snorted. "He's a hypocrite!"
"Are you… jealous?" Meng Hongchen frowned. "He seems way more talented than you!"
Xiao Hongchen's face turned red. He snapped:
"Jealous? Me? Him, more talented than me? Ridiculous! I'll beat him fair and square in the arena!"
"Yeah yeah, sure…"
"…"
Truth be told, Xiao Hongchen did feel pressured by Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao was also a five-ring Soul King, younger than him, with better soul ring configuration and superior combat power—definitely not just show.
"Wait—he's a soul master. I'm a soul engineer! I haven't lost yet! Soul tools won't lose!"
Xiao Hongchen tried to pump himself up again.
Soul tools were his true strength.
Elder Ma, who had been closely monitoring the status of his team members, saw that Xiao Hongchen was not shaken and couldn't help but nod slightly. He sighed inwardly—worthy of being the empire's number one genius.
Then, Elder Ma spoke up to guide them.
After all, Xiao Hongchen wasn't the only one who had begun doubting themselves—others hadn't even recovered from the shock yet.
For the team from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, their only true opponent was Shrek Academy. So naturally, Shrek's performance impacted them the most.
Now they weren't just doubting their strength—they were doubting their very talent.
Huo Yuhao's power and talent were simply too astonishing.
Even if they overdosed on supplements, they couldn't grow this fast!
A Soul King before turning thirteen?
Isn't that broken?
"That Huo Yuhao should just be a special case. If Shrek could mass-produce such talents, they would've dominated the continent long ago," Elder Ma analyzed in a calm voice.
"He's either a twin martial soul user, cultivating both at the same time—thus allowing that unique soul ring configuration and strength at such a young age. But that would waste the potential of twin martial souls and might even be life-threatening."
"Or his soul rings are fake, and what we're seeing is an illusion."
"But regardless of which it is, the fact remains—he's strong and fast."
Then Elder Ma began to share strategy:
"To deal with him, the best approach is to keep him out of range, don't let him close in. Bombard him from afar and take him down in one sweep. That's precisely what we Soul Engineers are good at."
"A Soul Engineer's combat is never limited to martial souls and soul skills!"
Summary: He can be dealt with.
Thanks to Elder Ma's insights, the members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy team finally understood and regained their confidence.
"We carry the expectations of the empire and the honor of our academy. We must not give up—instead, we must prove ourselves by defeating Shrek Academy! By defeating their genius, we prove our strength!" Ma Rulong rallied them.
The team's fighting spirit reignited.
Xiao Hongchen murmured, "Huo Yuhao, huh? I look forward to fighting you."
But they weren't the only ones shaken—other academy teams were too.
Regardless of Huo Yuhao's character, no one could ignore one fact: he would be their opponent.
And so, the other academies were bound to hold emergency meetings just to figure out how to deal with Huo Yuhao alone.
Among all the academy teams, someone was staring intensely at Huo Yuhao's back.
It was Dai Huabin from Star Luo Royal Academy.
Zhu Lu stood silently beside him.
After being expelled from Shrek Academy, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had transferred to the Star Luo Royal Academy as reserve members.
Back then, Dai Huabin had been expelled because of Huo Yuhao. He even attempted to assassinate Huo Yuhao, but was instead humiliated by Ci Hang Yao.
How could he not hate Huo Yuhao?
All of his resentment was now directed at Huo Yuhao.
Because he couldn't find Ci Hang Yao.
If the White Tiger Duke's household could locate Ci Hang Yao, they would've done it long ago.
Now, seeing Huo Yuhao dominate the battlefield and receive thunderous cheers, Dai Huabin nearly ground his teeth to dust.
Zhu Lu looked at Dai Huabin but said nothing.
In truth, she wanted to help him regain his footing, since Dai Huabin was her future husband—their fates were intertwined.
But the problem was: he was falling before they'd even risen. That had already started affecting her.
Especially that time Dai Huabin was publicly humiliated and strung up outside Star Luo City.
It was a disgrace to the entire White Tiger Duke's household.
He had become a joke among nobles, and she, as his fiancée, was mocked as well.
Recently, rumors were swirling that Dai Huabin's status within the Duke's household was no longer stable.
Had Dai Yaoheng not been killed first, Dai Huabin might've already lost his succession rights.
Even the Zhu family had started voicing discontent, beginning to doubt Dai Huabin.
Her parents even subtly warned her to stay away from him—in case there was no way back.
The Zhu family had even started introducing other young women to eligible men from the Dai family.
The intent was obvious.
Yet they didn't cancel her engagement to Dai Huabin.
Zhu Lu began to feel uncertain about the future.
But one thing was clear—if Dai Huabin lost power, her future would vanish with him.
Zhu Lu sighed inwardly, and followed Dai Huabin's gaze toward Huo Yuhao.
She had kept a secret hidden deep inside—the fact that she and Huo Yuhao shared a unique soul resonance.
If Dai Huabin really became unreliable, then maybe…
Suddenly, Zhu Lu froze.
She thought she saw Huo Yuhao glance back at her—and smile.
But when she blinked again, he was still staring at the arena as if nothing had happened.
"Was it an illusion?"
Unlike in the original story, Huo Yuhao didn't just act cool and leave. He was still somewhat interested in the tournament.
He definitely noticed people watching him—especially Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu.
Upon seeing them again, Huo Yuhao realized Dai Huabin's fate had shifted once more.
Now it read:
[Tiger Cub of a Military Household], [Birds of the Same Forest], [White Tiger Destiny]
Once a tiger that could terrify a whole forest… had become a mere cub relying on his family's legacy.
And "Birds of the Same Forest" was even more telling.
"Husband and wife are like birds on the same branch; in disaster, they fly separate ways."
"Zhu Lu, huh?"
He was genuinely intrigued by this girl—someone who might share a true martial soul fusion with him.
"The White Tiger Duke's house… Shrek Academy…"
Huo Yuhao's eyes gleamed as a bold idea formed in his mind.
He discreetly looked toward Zhou Yi, who sat alone nearby.
Later That Night
The first day of eliminations ended quickly.
Shrek Academy successfully advanced to the round-robin stage.
After the match, many powers began investigating Huo Yuhao and why Shrek would send such a young team.
They suspected the entire team might be as terrifyingly strong as Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao wasn't concerned.
The next match was three days away.
In that time, he cycled through his Ice-Fire Body Training and Oblivion Body Refinement.
The power of the Eye of Oblivion gradually increased.
His soul power also steadily climbed.
Another Night
Wei Na, up for a late-night bathroom trip, suddenly saw a shadowy figure—likely Ma Xiaotao—slip into Huo Yuhao's room.
She was stunned.
"Why would the captain visit Yuhao? Aren't they not that close?"
Curious, Wei Na tiptoed to his door. It wasn't fully closed—just slightly ajar.
Unable to resist, she peeked in.
The next second, her eyes widened in shock.
"They… they're that close?!"
"But aren't they Nice and Uncle by martial hierarchy?!"
"Were they faking it all along?!"
Wei Na wanted to throw open the door and righteously stop them.
But for some reason… she couldn't move.
She didn't want to walk in—but couldn't walk away either.
Her eyes remained glued to the crack in the door.
"I-I didn't know that was possible!…"
A Few Hours Later
Huo Yuhao sat on the bed, casually rubbing Ma Xiaotao's chest and smoking a cigar.
A cigarette after, better than a living god.
"Time's about right. Zhou Yi should be awake by now."
He stubbed out the cigar, got dressed, and left the sleeping Ma Xiaotao in bed.
As he passed the doorway, he noticed a damp spot on the floor.
"Oh? Leaky pipe? Better get that patched up," he said with a smile, glancing toward Wei Na's room. Her door was shut tight.
He didn't disturb the tired Wei Na.
Instead, he knocked on Zhou Yi's door.
Inside, Zhou Yi had just woken up and was thinking about the round-robin match schedule. Hearing the knock, she opened the door—only to find Huo Yuhao outside.
His sunny smile looked oddly eerie in the dim light.
"Huo Yuhao? What are you doing here?" she asked, puzzled.
Golden light shone from his eyes.
"Miss Zhou, won't you invite me in?"
Zhou Yi instinctively sensed danger and became alert.
But her eyes gradually lost their luster.
Blankly, she stepped aside and let Huo Yuhao in.
The door closed behind them… silently.
The round-robin tournament had officially begun!
When Huo Yuhao led the Shrek Academy team into the arena, they were met with a tidal wave of cheers from the audience.
Countless spectators shouted the names "Shrek" and "Huo Yuhao."
A thirteen-year-old five-ring Soul King!
A soul ring configuration of two purple and three black—beyond common sense!
The overwhelming power to instantly defeat seven opponents!
And Huo Yuhao's peerless looks and refined, gentlemanly demeanor!
All of these made him the crowd's darling.
After just one battle, Huo Yuhao had become the new rising star of the tournament, achieving immense popularity.
With no equal!
Because there was simply no peer who could compare to Huo Yuhao.
Even overpowered contestants like Ma Xiaotao and Jin Qiu'er had yet to show their hand.
Yet Huo Yuhao frowned slightly, muttering to himself, "What kind of ranking is this? Shrek is trending at the same level as me?"
Shrek has clearly lost its way!
However, today, there was something odd about the atmosphere among Shrek Academy.
Ma Xiaotao looked tired and even yawned.
Wei Na's face was flushed, her gaze wandering—she kept glancing between Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao, seemingly deep in thought.
Zhou Yi looked pale as always but kept a stern expression. Fortunately, she was wearing her real face and not the "old witch" mask, giving her the aura of a cool and sickly beauty rather than something scary.
Zhou Yi was indeed very beautiful—no wonder Fan Yu had chosen her. But her delicate looks reduced her intimidation factor, which was why she usually wore the witch mask.
Wang Dong and Jin Qiu'er, on the other hand, weren't happy about Huo Yuhao's fame. They felt he didn't deserve it.
"A scumbag like him, famous? Seriously?" Wang Dong grumbled inwardly.
"I could do it too if it were me!" Jin Qiu'er thought.
Only Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao appeared normal.
The crowd's cheers had them a bit fired up, like they were ready to die for Shrek Academy's honor.
Well, that kind of excitement was normal.
Ling Luocheng remained resting at the hotel as usual. Her personality was cold and aloof, and she kept to herself during her recovery period—Huo Yuhao had barely seen her.
Xu Sanshi, however, had dragged his slightly recovered body into the spectator seats, cheering his lungs out for Jiang Nannan.
Among the audience, his voice was the loudest.
While everyone else shouted "Shrek" and "Huo Yuhao," he was yelling "Jiang Nannan" at the top of his lungs—leaving others wondering who she even was.
Truly the "warrior" among simps!
Following the initial rounds, 67 teams remained in the tournament.
All academy teams gathered to hear the referees announce the group divisions for the round-robin.
The round-robin would proceed in group format.
Just like the original story, Shrek Academy's group had eight teams in total.
All the teams grouped with Shrek Academy wore solemn expressions, while those not in Shrek's group let out sighs of relief.
Forget Huo Yuhao—just the prestige of Shrek's long-standing championship streak was enough to unsettle most academies.
This year, Shrek did seem a bit off—they had sent out a bunch of young students for unknown reasons, but even just one appearance by Huo Yuhao showed he was a monster-level talent.
What about the rest of these young students?
Many academies speculated that Huo Yuhao was a special case.
But what if he wasn't?
Due to the grouping, the arena layout had been adjusted.
The academy rest areas had also changed.
Shrek Academy's rest area was in the far north, closest to the imperial city wall—and clearly much larger than the others.
Their space had twenty luxurious sofas and dedicated attendants.
Tables nearby were piled high with food, fruit, and drinks—everything imaginable.
This wasn't a competition.
It looked more like a VIP viewing lounge.
Other academies received similar treatment, but without the attendants—and their areas were much smaller.
Each rest area had only seven seats for the main team members.
Reserves and substitutes had to stand behind.
Still, no academy dared complain.
Power earns privilege.
Once everyone was in their respective areas—
The host appeared.
Yes, the soul master tournament had a host.
Due to the tournament's strategic nature, it was highly entertaining—so of course, there would be a host and commentators.
The host worked to stir up the crowd with some hype speech, warming up the atmosphere until things were sufficiently electric—then officially announced the start of the first match.
"Now, let's welcome the representative team from the Continent's Number One Academy—Shrek Academy—and their opponents, the Nova Advanced Soul Master Academy from the Douling Empire! Please proceed to the waiting zone. Team captains, please come forward to determine the match format!"
As expected, Shrek Academy would go first. Having them go second would be disrespectful.
However, their opponents had changed from the original story. Now, they faced a relatively unknown soul master academy from the Douling Empire.
But making it to the round-robin meant this team wasn't weak.
This year's round-robin format had changed, with three possible match types—decided by a draw.
After both teams entered the waiting zone, the captains took the stage.
Nova Academy's captain was a tall, voluptuous woman with pink hair, seductive features, and a foxy gaze—like a classic vixen.
From Shrek's side, Ma Xiaotao stepped forward. Her looks outshone Nova's captain, and her aura was one of elegance and nobility—like an untouchable queen.
The contrast was striking.
Nova's captain looked like a mistress; Ma Xiaotao like the dignified wife.
Nova's captain realized this, and her expression soured. She hated being mistaken for a harlot.
Ma Xiaotao, on the other hand, remained calm and poised.
Amusingly, Huo Yuhao used his physiognomic skills to determine that Nova's captain was still a virgin—whereas Ma Xiaotao… well, those who know, know.
"So this is what contrast looks like," Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes.
Ma Xiaotao's appearance surprised both the referees and the audience.
Everyone had assumed that Huo Yuhao, walking at the front, was the team captain.
Turns out it was Ma Xiaotao, the second in line.
The referee quickly adapted and started the draw.
The draw involved colorful balls—tossing a container into the air to randomly release one.
Three colors:
Red = Team Battle
Yellow = Individual Matches
Blue = 2-2-3 format
Finally, a blue ball dropped.
"The battle format is: 2-2-3!" the referee announced, holding up the blue ball and explaining the rules.
Nova's captain subtly relaxed.
According to their analysis, as long as it wasn't individual battles, they still had a chance.
They had no hope in one-on-one against Huo Yuhao. But with team support and proper tactics to neutralize his speed, they might just win.
Ma Xiaotao said nothing and calmly returned to the team to arrange the lineup.
Unlike in the original story, there was no awkwardness—with both Ma Xiaotao and Huo Yuhao present, they could win regardless of format.
Before Ma Xiaotao could speak, however, Jin Qiu'er stepped forward.
"I'll take the first match!"
Jin Qiu'er: My time to shine has come!